As previously mentioned, the crisis in Haiti dates back to its inception as a French slave colony. This means that the crisis cannot be solved simply by the outpour of donations this past couple weeks for Haiti.

Some have suggested that this means that people in the West shouldn’t donate or that we have donated enough already. This isn’t true either.

However, there are some ways that we make sure that the donations and aid work that is being done now makes a real difference in the long-term.

Read more...

In the midst of disaster, it is easy to respond. Haiti is all of a sudden the spotlight of tremendous amounts of emergency relief, volunteer groups, action alerts, pleas for donations and promises from governments around the world.

However, we must remember that the crisis in Haiti didn’t start on Tuesday, January 12th around 5pm. It started hundreds of years ago when West Africans were kidnapped from their countries and brought to the other side of the world to live in servitude. As Tracy Kidder points out in his New York Times editorial, the crisis in Haiti continued as Haitians were punished for claiming their freedom from their French colonizers. Since then Haiti has continued to suffer, partly because of aid policies that keep them dependent on foreign assistance.

In response to the terrible earthquake in Haiti, Outreach International, the Community of Christ, and hundreds of other humanitarian organizations are calling on supporters to give generously to those in need.

In times like this there is often a rush of people wanting to jet to the disaster zone and volunteer, or collect clothing, medicines and food to send to the people suffering. This altruistic impulse is praiseworthy and displays the great generosity and charity human beings show in times of trouble. However, not every well-meaning response to a disaster is a good one. In a briefing paper I wrote in light of the Asian Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, I explain how, when responding to a humanitarian disaster, potential donors should keep in mind the following key principles to guide their gift:

Yesterday there was an absolutely devastating earthquake in Haiti that has killed thousands of people and left much of the capital in rubble. It is a tragedy that any country would have such a devastating disaster, but this is even worse in Haiti because of the abject poverty of the country. It is already the poorest country in the Western hemisphere.

What can we do to help?

After sprinting through two airports and nearly missing two connecting flights, our group of 11 students and 5 chaperones made it to Nicaragua the night of Wednesday, January 6th. We traveled here for a Graceland University winter term to learn about a nonprofit organization called Outreach International, and how its community development process is implemented in the field by Alcance Nicaragua.

Some have questioned the commitment of the Obama Administration to international development, especially since the Administrator of USAID has been one of the last political appointments to be filled.

However, this week marks a significant shift in attention on development by the White House. On Wed, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton laid out her plan for a reform of the U.S.’ international development efforts. The next day, the new USAID administrator Rajiv Shah, was sworn in and committed to making aid more effective by focusing on measurable results.

Taking down Christmas decorations, re-reading cards from friends, and taking stock of gifts and gift cards we received, I was reminded of how people celebrate throughout the world and how some gifts and letters really impact our lives. And unlike the decorations, cards and gifts being packed away, I couldn’t help but remember the email we’d received from Ami, one of Outreach International’s field staff in the Philippines.

Well tonight is the night we make New Year’s Resolutions. And tomorrow is the day we start breaking them!

I often make and break New Year’s Resolutions. Actually, I am not quite sure why I make them. I think I am attracted to the concept of a particular occasion to make a change. Even though I know that January 1st is not any different than December 31st, I like the symbolism of a new year. But why don’t I actually stick to my resolutions? I guess that stems from a lack of commitment.

International leaders are leaving two weeks of climate negotiations fairly disappointed. They didn’t even meet the lowest of their expectations from the negotiations. However, they are leaving having “taken note” of a tentative, non-binding agreement reached by 5 world powers: the US, China, India, South Africa and Brazil.

No one really fared well in this weak agreement. But I am especially worried about the poorest of the poor that are the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. How did they fare?

Most people, teachers and schools couldn’t see the potential in Michael Oher. Like many other children in the world who lack opportunity, he also lacked pretty much any documentation that said he even existed. And the few school documents that could be produced indicated a boy incapable of learning. This combined with his inability to communicate his thoughts or wishes and a tendency to keep his head down and eyes lowered – in spite of his 6’5” frame and 300+ weight in ninth grade – had made him practically invisible.

I just returned from a 12-day Site Visit to the Philippines. We saw some of the areas that were devastated by recent typhoon flood waters and high winds. We also met many wonderful, friendly Filipino people who bravely shared with us their stories of survival.

The coolest thing we learned is that even with the emergency situation of the flooding and people being displaced from their homes, our Outreach Philippines staff was able to utilize the Participatory Human Development Process to deal with the relief work.

The Obama Administration has decided against signing the landmine ban treaty, which is supported by over 150 countries worldwide. Landmines and similar devices kill and injure over 5,000 people a year, mostly in developing countries, and pose a major obstacle to development.

Today marks World AIDS Day—a day dedicated to ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic which led to the deaths of over 2 million people in 2008 alone. While Obama and his administration have been vocal about their support for ending the epidemic, their actions have not matched their words. As a matter of fact, Obama’s 2010 budget flat-lined funding for PEPAR (the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), while President Bush was increasing funding for the program every year. Because of this flat-lining of funding, several key advocacy organizations have given Obama a D+ on his HIV/AIDS policy.

Yesterday marked the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (although the U.S. still hasn’t ratified the agreement). And yet, there are an unfathomable number of children in our world who continue to go without these basic rights.

The rights of the child identified by this historic agreement are: “the right to survival; to develop to the fullest; to protection from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation; and to participate fully in family, cultural and social life.” (from UNICEF)

This summer, the people of Ukraine became real to me. I spent two months sharing their food, sleeping in their beds and falling in love with their children. My friend Zoe and I embarked on our summer journey with a program called World Service Corp. We stayed with church families that were sufficiently provided for but looked into the face of poverty every day.

At the local swimming hole, less than half the people could afford bathing suits so they swam in their undergarments. We met a three year old child who was being raised by her two older brothers in a shack because their house had burned down and parents were alcoholics without jobs. Women boarded the trains and went from car to car, asking for money to support their children. In the face of the economic crisis happening around the world, the truth is that those who had little to begin with will end up with even less.

"Ubuntu" is an idea from African spirituality that means "I am because we are." That is, that we are all connected, that we cannot be ourselves without community. Each person’s health and faith is caught up in the well-being of others.

Outreach International has known this truth for over 30 years. By building capacity in impoverished families and communities, not only are those systems made stronger, but individuals are given new starts in education, in farming, in business, in health, in restoring their environment, and much more. Hundreds of thousands of people in the past 30 years.

That’s how I felt after hearing the story of Dr. Halima Bashir at this year’s Peace Colloquy in Independence, MO. Dr. Bashir was awarded the 2009 Community of Christ International Peace Award for her work to speak out against the atrocities against her people in Darfur, Sudan.

When Dr. Halima Bashir spoke out against the genocide going on in Darfur, she was raped repeatedly. However, she didn’t stop speaking truth to power. When she was given asylum in the UK, she wrote about her experience in a new book Tears of the Desert. Since then, she has traveled the world talking about the atrocities in Darfur. She even visited the White House to meet with former President Bush to encourage the U.S. to help solve the situation. And yet—the UN Peace Keeping forces in Darfur are still underfunded, while the U.S. continues to spend billions in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

How do these very complex, controversial topics relate? I have been thinking a lot about this recently. And I don’t have many answers. Just more questions…

What does God care about?

Who does God care about?

How does this relate to politics?

How can people of faith understand issues so differently?

Read more...

The most recent typhoon to hit the Philippines has devastated areas where Outreach International has programs, field staff, and many friends. Here are some personal reflections by two World Service Corps volunteers who spent last summer living and serving in this area.

“Last week super typhoon Parma slammed northern Luzon—this time, several areas where OI and Community of Christ congregations exist were severely hit. OI field staff and church members worked tirelessly to evacuate as many people from the surrounding villages as possible, but these attempts were limited as it quickly became too dangerous and impossible to travel. Some areas have had communication completely cut off and we still don't know the status of the villages, congregations, or the people.